A Little Too Not Over You
by drowning in technicolor dreams
Summary: “Tell me why, you’re so hard to forget.” After 8 years of trying to move on, Massie Block and Derrick Harrington find each other again…does this mean they’re meant to be? Maybe. Maybe not. Sequel to Collide.
1. Here We Stand In The End

**I feel good ;) I got the best Christmas gift ever, and my friend said I gave him the best Christmas gift ever(in case you were wondering, I got a turtle and I gave my friend a hamster). Ha, if we had a duckling in the classroom at the same time we had the turtle and the hamster, we could've had the Wonder Pets! **

**Okay, whatever…**

**And because of my turtle, Sheldon(my best friend, who gave it to me, named it…I wanted to name it Pistachio), I am starting Collide's sequel, A Little Too Not Over You!**

**Oh yeah, I'm not putting the dates and other stuff anymore…Sometimes they confuse me.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything…not even the title. David Archuleta owns that. And the title for this chapter is from I'll Take Us Home by Matt and Kim(the title is actually supposed to be Hey, New York, Our Old Friend…from the same song…yeah…but then I realized they were in California…maybe it'll be the title for the next chapter…) **

**A Little Too Not Over You  
Chapter One – Here We Stand In The End  
**

"This just in. Derrick Harrington, our favorite suspended soccer superstar, just broke up with his socialite girlfriend, Jasmin Collins. Now, there are no details about this break-up yet, and neither parties have given any statements, but is this break-up somehow connected to Derrick's suspension from the English pro soccer team last week for punching Germany's coach? Well, whatever the reason, I'm sure all you ladies are excited that Derrick Harrington's sexiness is now free for all of us to admire," Alicia Rivera reported. If there was one thing she hated about her job, it's when she has to talk about her friends that way. Derrick Harrington's sexiness? She _knows _Derrick Harrington. And if you've known him for as long as she did, you _so _would not think he was sexy.

Alicia Rivera was now the proud host of her own gossip show, _Point!_

And yes, the name was taken from when she was young.

Actually, she wasn't just a host. She's also choreographer to the stars, and _finally _a Ralph Lauren model. Do you know how hard it is to become _the _top Ralph Lauren model?

Oh well, at least she wasn't the busiest among her friends.

The Pretty Committee(no, they don't officially refer to themselves as TPC anymore. Old habits just die hard) all went into the entertainment industry. If you loved attention as much as they do, Hollywood is perfect for you.

Claire Lyons is still the same sweetheart, and she's still with Cam Fisher. In fact, they own a candy company(that of course sells tons of gummies) that has over 70 braches worldwide. Claire is also an actress(like they all knew she would be) and a top model. Cam is one of the youngest(and hottest) director and producer, and those good looks have to be put into good use somehow, so he also models.

Dylan Marvil is now the host of her new talk show, _Dylan_, that is swiftly rising up to the ranks of shows like _Tyra _and _Ellen _and _Oprah. _She's also the spokeswoman for _You love you, _an organization that aims to help young girls embrace themselves and accept their flaws and be content with who they are because who they are "is a star." She's also a top model.

Kristen Gregory now owns a famous magazine that is even bigger than _Vogue_(and she did that in less than four years!), and she's a top model. Of course, she couldn't let go of her shoes, so she started her own shoe line that mainly specializes in stylish rubber shoes, but she also has _very _comfortable heels and sandals and other kinds of footwear. Surprisingly, Kristen and Kemp were the couple that lasted until now.

Kemp Hurley and Chris Plovert, the inseparable duo, started a men's magazine. Somehow, Kemp's perverted-ness (he's not so perverted now, though. Kristen got that out of him), and Chris's management skills worked together to make one heck of a men's magazine. They were, like, _Playboy _heirs now. Except that Kemp is taken. Chris is currently single. During sophomore year, he and Dylan drifted apart. Oh yeah, they're both models, too.

Josh Hotz, aside from Derrick, was the only one who really pursued soccer. He and Derrick were both part of the English soccer team. Josh is also a model. And one _very _surprising thing he did was start a fashion line for boys, called _Hotz,_ that made them look stylish yet not gay. Those jokes about his Ralph Lauren 'obsession' had a good effect, after all. Alicia and him were Hollywood's on-again-off-again couple.

Now, Derrick Harrington. He's the new David Beckham. Soccer player, sought-after model, every girl's fantasy. But then, Derrick punched the Spanish team's coach, and got a one year suspension. This made him _even more _wanted. There are modeling agencies calling him day and night, and brands practically _begging _him to be the new face of their products. There are also movie offers. And, he accepted one, saying, "I better make good use of my one year suspension."

Finally, Massie Block. Everyone said she would end up doing great things, and she did. She became a singer, an actress, and a top model. Triple threat. More than a triple threat, actually. She also has her own fashion line, called _Massie_, and a cosmetics company, called _135. _She's currently one of the most sought-after celebrities of today, and one of the hottest. Of course, a girl as gorgeous as her needs a beau, and he comes in the form of the sexy Landon Crane.

"Alicia, we're on in 2 minutes!" someone, Alicia didn't see, called out. She walked to her post and smiled.

"3…2…" the cameraman said, lifting his pointer finger for "1."

"It's a beautiful Saturday today…"

~^*^~

"Massie! The movie producers for that other movie have been calling me non-stop, checking to confirm whether you accept their movie or not," Pamela Curtis, Massie Block's manager-slash-agent-slash-publicist said over the phone.

"What movie?" Massie Block asked. She had about ten movie offers right now.

"The chick-flick about the young couple? The guy had to move to a different country, and they were separated. Five years later, the guy returns and he finds the girl, but the girl has to chose between her fiancé and the guy she loves. She doesn't tell the guy about the fiancé. Then, for three days, they do things they've never done before, and the girl says it will help them get to know each other again. In the end, she picks the guy after the guy gets mad at her for not telling him about the fiancé. Semi-light acting. Directed by James Altnoy."

"_Queen Of Hearts?_" Massie asked.

"Yeah."

"I'll take it."

"Really?"

"Uh huh. I like the script. Who's my leading man?"

"He hasn't given his response yet, and they said that even if he did, he would be top secret."

"Top secret?"

"Yup."

"They can't even tell me?"

"Only when you sign the contract."

"When's contract signing?"

"Tomorrow, 2 p.m."

"Tell them that we'll be there."

~^*^~

"So, who's my leading man?" Massie asked the producers in front of her after she affixed her signature on the contract.

"You'll meet him next week, during the photo shoot. We want to do the photo shoot early, so we're starting with that, then the next day, we start filming," James Altnoy, director and producer, said.

"Okay."

~^*^~

**[photo shoot day]**

"You have the photo shoot for _Queen Of Hearts _today, then a meeting with the designers of _Massie, _so that they can show you their new designs and you can approve them. Afterwards, you have a song offer from your label, then you have dinner with Dylan, Alicia, Claire and Kristen," Ella Nelson, Massie's personal assistant, said.

"Mmm. Where's dinner?" Massie asked.

"Dylan's house."

~^*^~

"Since you're early, why don't you go to hair and make-up first, Massie?" James asked. They were in a photo studio somewhere in downtown Hollywood, and Massie came a little early. There wasn't anything much that was happening. Interns and stylists and make-up artists were just mulling about, waiting for the photo shoot to start.

"Sure," Massie said, shrugging. She set down the magazine she was reading and sat down in front of a big mirror while her favorite make-up artist, Harmony Jones, and her favorite hair stylist, Susan Jacob, worked on her face and hair.

"Massie, darling, do you have any idea who this "secret leading man" is? He's quite the talk of the town," Harmony said in her British accent.

"Actually, they won't tell me who he is. I find out today," Massie answered.

"Whoever he is, I hope he's sexy," Susan mused.

"Susan! Dear God! You're married!" Harmony exclaimed.

"So?"

"So, you should give me a chance! I'd like to have a sexy American actor," Harmony joked.

"Oh, Harmony, Harmony, if you had the same appeal as me, you just might," Susan said.

"Susan, we're corrupting the young girl's mind," Harmony said.

Massie stopped laughing to frown. "I'm twenty-one years old."

"Massie, you're still young. Our ages are almost unmentionable," Susan said.

"Consider yourself lucky, darling. Twenty-one, the prime of womanhood!" Harmony said.

Sometimes Massie wondered if her make-up artist and hair stylist were on drugs.

"Prime of womanhood?" Massie asked.

"Don't talk too much, darling, I can't get the lipstick on. And yes, the prime of womanhood. When you're free to do whatever you'd like. When young, sexy lads hit on you in the bar. When boys stop and stare at you as you walk down the streets. That time of womanhood," Harmony explained.

"Harmony, shut up. No one wants to hear about your sad love life," Susan said.

"The men I like are all wankers that hate hippies. When they ask me about my name, and I tell them that my folks were hippies, they all leave!"

"Harmony! I'll go on a date with you if you finish with Massie early!" James shouted from across the room.

Massie loved this crew team.

Thirty minutes later, Massie was done.

"Hey, James, pick me up at seven!" Harmony shouted while Massie walked towards the clothes racks that lined the walls. The stylist, Savannah, already had an outfit for her. She changed, then she stood in front of the white backdrop that covered half of one wall. She let the photographer take some sample shots of her.

"Happy, Massie, you won the lottery! You're happy! Good! Now, sad. You lost everything, now your sad! Perfect! Now, angry! Pull out your hair, angry! Great shot!" the photographer ordered, and Massie obeyed.

"Ah, there's the leading man!" She heard James say the same time that the photographer shouted, "Shocked! Give me shocked!"

And Massie was shocked. So shocked that the only thing that came out of the photographer's mouth were praises of how accurate her facial expression was.

Of course she would be shocked. Why wouldn't she be shocked? Her leading man turned out to be a _very _familiar dirty blonde with caramel eyes, and he looked better than ever.

Derrick Harrington tentatively waved at Massie Block.

Massie Block just stared at Derrick Harrington.

**Mwahahaha! A cliffhanger, right at the beginning!**

**Yes, I know that sounds evil, considering all you guys were waiting for this sequel…**

…**but it somehow felt **_**right **_**to end it with a cliffhanger.**

**Plus, cliffhangers add more excitement to a story, dontcha think?**

**Admit it. **

**It does.**

**No matter how much you guys hate cliffhangers.**

**You guys might've noticed that they're all models…it's because I think I want to be a model or something…**

**And, the reason I didn't specify Josh and Derrick's soccer team is because I don't want to look like a poseur. Yes, I know some of the European soccer teams (like Manchester United and Chelsea and Arsenal…), but I'm not an expert at soccer, so I can't really say which team is better and things like that. **

**And oh yeah, I doubt that I got the process of making a movie right, or what celebrity lives are really like, but I did my best :) Please just bear with it.**


	2. The Only Way To Fall Is Down

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Chapter Title: Up In The Stars by Swimming With Dolphins.**

**Do you guys know why the name of the director is James Altnoy? **_**A**__**L**_**ittle **_**T**_**oo **_**N**_**ot **_**O**_**ver **_**Y**_**ou!**

**Just sharing :)**

**A Little Too Not Over You  
Chapter Two – The Only Way To Fall Is Down**

Massie Block stared at Derrick Harrington, not even acknowledging the fact that she was in the middle of a _photo shoot, _and the photographer was asking for anger. When she didn't move, he stopped clicking on his camera to look at her disbelievingly.

"What's wrong, Massie? You look like you've seen a ghost," Ella Nelson, Massie's assistant, asked the young superstar.

"Maybe I have," Massie said, blinking a few times to check if she was hallucinating or not.

She wasn't.

All the emotions she suppressed from eight years ago resurfaced, and she almost let it drown her. The disappointment, the pain, the frustration, the shock, and finally, the joy. The fused wave of these feelings crashed around her, but she swam, keeping her head up so she won't drown.

"You know each other?" James Altnoy, director, asked, but his voice was far away to Massie.

"Yeah. We used to…" Derrick said, and his voice broke Massie's trance. Suddenly, she was pulled out of the water.

"Go to school together," Massie finished.

"You were friends?" James asked.

"Yeah. We were in the same circle of friends," Derrick answered.

"You were close?" James inquired.

"You could say that," Massie said, not really wanting him to know how close they actually were.

"Perfect. No more awkward introductions," James said, smiling at the both of them. "Now, Massie, why don't you sit there while we get Derrick ready for the photo shoot?" he said.

Massie absentmindedly sat down on the chair he pointed at, and asked Ella for her phone. When she felt the cool metal touch her palm, she immediately speed-dialed the only person she knew who could possibly have the answers she needed. While she listened to the steady ringing of the phone, she went inside the privacy of the bathroom.

"Hola," Alicia Rivera answered.

"Hello, Alicia," Massie said, trying to keep calm.

"What's wrong?" the Spanish asked from the other side. "I know that overly calm voice. When you talk like that, it usually means that you want to burst in a fit of emotion."

"Are you with Josh?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Could you please put me on loudspeaker? I have to talk to him too."

Massie counted two seconds before she heard the unmistakable voice of Josh Hotz. "Massie?"

"Last week, I accepted a movie role. Today, I had a photo shoot for said movie. I went to the studio without knowing who my leading man was. I was early; I showed up and he wasn't there yet. So they put me in hair and make-up, and they had me run some test-shots. In the middle of the pre-photo shoot photo shoot, my leading man arrived. I saw him and I froze," Massie said, being overly-dramatic in her storytelling.

"Okay?" Josh asked, confused.

"Do you want to know who my leading man is? It's a big piece of gossip. Nobody knows who he is, but everyone is curious to find out," Massie said, knowing she was stalling, refusing to say his name out loud.

"Sure?"

"His name is Derrick Harrington." The name felt foreign on her tongue, but it also felt familiar and comfortable, like she said that name every day.

"He accepted the movie?" Josh asked.

"You didn't tell me?" Alicia asked.

"Babe, you're a gossip reporter. It was top secret," Josh reasoned, and Massie guessed Alicia took this as a proper excuse, because she heard the Spanish girl say, "Okay."

"Massie, I didn't know I was supposed to tell you…" Josh said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I was just shocked and I wanted answers and I figured you two might have them and…yeah," Massie apologized, feeling the initial shock disappear.

"It's okay. You still going to Dylan's later for dinner?" Alicia asked.

"Of course."

"You promise? No back-outs? PC promise?" Alicia asked. They didn't really officially call themselves "The Pretty Committee" anymore, but a PC promise is a promise you can _never _break. It was a promise in honor of their long-lasting friendship. To break it was to forget about everything they've gone through together.

"PC promise," Massie said.

"Good, because the we're coming to dinner too," Josh said.

Massie tried to protest, but she couldn't get a word in because Alicia was saying "'tbreakitseeyouatDylan'!"

Then she immediately hung up.

She went out of the bathroom to find Derrick ready for the photo shoot.

"Hey, Block. Long time no see," Derrick said, trying to be friendly.

"Josh and Alicia say hi," was the only thing that came out of her lips. She walked towards the formerly white backdrop. The white cloth that was covering it was taken away, revealing a green wall.

Derrick stood beside her, waiting for the photographer. Massie was highly aware of their distance; or lack thereof.

But Massie won't let anyone down. She was an actress, she could act normal for this.

.:~*~:.

"Derrick, put your hand on Massie's waist. Massie, yours around his neck. Derrick, other hand behind you. Now, Derrick, dip her," the photographer said, and the two of them followed. Massie felt herself being bent back, and she had to depend on Derrick to not let her fall.

She can't fall again. The last and first time she did, she was hurt. She learned her lesson. The harder the fall, the greater the pain. But this situation she was in…it made it harder to control herself. She remembered those days they were handcuffed together. She remembered how close they were, how every time their hands brushed, electric sparks would ignite in her whole body. She remembered spending time with him 24/7. She remembered her Halloween party. She remembered his voice, ringing through the air and into her heart. She remembered everything. All the emotions came surging back up, and she felt her heart beat faster.

"Massie, face here. Derrick, show your face, but don't look at the camera straight on. Look at Massie. Massie, mischievous smile. Perfect! Now, shocked face. Good!," the photographer exclaimed. "Now, stand up straight," he ordered and they followed. He got something shiny from his back pocket, and he threw them at Derrick. He caught them with his amazing goalie skills, but when he saw what they were, he was speechless.

Handcuffs.

The irony.

Massie looked at the handcuffs, and she was speechless too. Apparently, the fact that the models were frozen finally called the attention of the photographer.

"What? They're just handcuffs," he said. That woke them up.

"Yeah…I know…I was just…figuring out what I could do with them," Derrick said.

"What's the connection of handcuffs to the story?" Massie asked James.

"Oh, we forgot to tell you. Minor change in the plot. The girl says they should try out things they've never done before, right? And she also says they should do it with handcuffs, and they could only take off the handcuffs at the end of the day," the director said.

"Why?" Massie asked.

"To make things 'interesting.' Producers wanted it," he said, shrugging.

Massie offered her right hand to Derrick, remembering that her right hand was the same hand that was handcuffed to the left hand of the same person during a different time.

"I feel déjà vu," Derrick murmured as he clasped the metal bracelet on her wrist, then his.

"Derrick. This has never happened before, okay? We were friends, that was it. Nothing more," Massie said under her breath.

"That's our story?" he said, pulling her by her waist. Her left hand automatically landed on his chest, and they let their handcuffed hands fall to the sides. Their eyes met.

"Perfect! Perfect shot!" the photographer said, breaking their short reverie and causing Massie to break eye contact as she said "Yes."

"Whatever you want, Block," Derrick said, twirling her using their handcuffed hands.

"Stop calling me that," Massie said. That nickname brought back too many memories.

Derrick grabbed her waist again and dipped her again, but this time, instead of his left hand being behind him, it was on his neck, with Massie's. They repeated their former pose.

"Excellent!" the photographer said.

"You can make me pretend that we've never been together, but you can never make me stop calling you Block, Block," Derrick said, smirking as he brought her up.

Then they both faced back, and Massie said, "Fine. Call me that. I won't answer," before they looked at each other and smiled.

"Good!"

Then they further twisted their necks to send over-the-shoulder smirks to the camera.

"Amazing!"

"Okay, let's take a break!" James said. "I'm hungry."

.:~*~:.

"Block!" Derrick called out, and Massie instinctively turned her head to face him.

He raised his eyebrow and smirked in an I-thought-you-weren't-going-to-respond-when-I-called-you-that way.

"Sorry, force of habit," Massie said, waving it away.

"So, how did you guys meet?" James asked the two.

"I've known him since we were in elementary school. We lived in the same neighborhood," Massie answered.

"You go to school together?" James asked.

"I went to Briarwood Academy for Boys, she went to Octavian Country Day for Girls. But they were sibling schools, five minutes away from each other. Also, for a whole year, when Briarwood flooded and collapsed, Briarwood Boys had to go to school in Octavian. So…we went to school together for a year," Derrick answered.

"Anything interesting happen during that year?" James asked.

Derrick subtly exchanged a look with Massie.

"Hmm. Let's see. She was most popular girl in school. Then the school had 'overflow trailers.' Because of the over-population, the school had to send students to those trailers. She was sent there," Derrick said, chuckling at the reason she was _actually _sent there.

"Then I made it pretty and girly and then I sent him and his friends there," Massie added, giggling proudly.

"Anything else?"

"She threw a Halloween party," Derrick said, the laughter taken away.

"You did?" James asked.

"Yeah. It was candy themed," Massie answered, remembering who gave the idea. "Costume party."

"Who were you?" James asked.

"I was a candy biker babe," Massie answered.

"And you?" James asked Derrick.

"I was Willy Wonka," he answered.

"Did you have Oompa Loompas?" James asked, fascinated.

"Yeah. I had Claire Lyons' little brother and his friend," Derrick answered while Massie was reminiscing.

"Claire Lyons was there too?"

"Yeah, the whole Pretty Committee," Derrick answered. The mention of the words _Pretty Committee _brought Massie back to her senses.

"Pretty Committee?" James asked, raising his eyebrows at Massie.

"Yeah," she answered stretching out the word, then putting on a smile. "That's what we used to call ourselves. Me, Alicia Rivera, Claire Lyons, Dylan Marvil, and Kristen Gregory. When we were in middle school. We don't call ourselves that anymore."

"Don't tell me _you _guys had a group name too," James said, asking Derrick with a snort.

"No, dude. We were just Derrick Harrington, Josh Hotz, Kemp Hurley, Cam Fisher and Chris Plovert."

"Hmm. So you were close?" James asked. "I mean, you have a nickname for her."

Neither of them answered at first.

"You could say that," Massie finally answered. "And I had a nickname for him too."

"Really?"

"Massie, don't tell him or else I will kill you," Derrick warned.

"Fine, _Derrington_, I won't tell him," Massie said, smirking. "Derrington was a weird kid, always wearing shorts. Even in the winter," Massie told James, her spirits slightly lifting. "Made his knees purple."

"Block was a weird girl too," Derrick said, earning him a glare from Massie. "Got expelled during the seventh grade. Has weird plans. Hides in bushes." The glare got harder.

"Seriously?" James asked. "Expulsion?"

"The school was being unfair. And I got back in," Massie defended.

"So you two sound like you've been together a lot," James observed. Right at that second, Massie hated James. His interview was fine awhile ago. It even felt like it belonged in her schedule, like she hung out with Derrick like this every day. But five minutes ago, it felt awkward talking about the Halloween party. And before that, they were giggling!

"Yeah…I guess we sort of have," Massie answered.

"So…Kristen Gregory is with Kemp Hurley. Alicia Rivera with Josh Hotz. Claire Lyons with Cam Fisher. And I heard something about Dylan Marvil being with Chris Plovert when they were in High School. Has it always been like that?" James asked.

"Yes," Derrick said, stretching out the word.

"Seems like all of your friends have been paired up…Except for you two…Or have you?" James asked.

"Have we what?" Massie asked, keeping her façade.

"Have you two ever been more than friends?" he asked, getting to the point.

"No," Massie said, after one slow second. If she answered too fast, it would've been obvious she was lying.

"Really?"

"Yeah. We were the fifth wheels. That's why we know each other well. When all our friends were being PDA, we had no choice but to hang out with each other," Derrick said, and Massie almost believed him.

"But you've never had a relationship? Because it's good that you're friends, but it might be awkward if you used to be together," James said, standing up.

"I can assure you, James, I never liked Derrick that way," Massie said, pretending like she was offended.

"Massie? Ew," Derrick said pretending to barf.

But when James left, Derrick and Massie found their eyes locked together, asking a hundred questions and answering none.

**Okay, that was a weird chapter…**


	3. You're Everything That I Adore

**Okay, title is from This Is Love by Annasay. **

**A Little Too Not Over You  
Chapter Three – You're Everything That I Adore**

As Massie Block looked at Derrick Harrington, she noticed the changes.

When he first stepped into the room, Massie didn't really notice them. She was focused on _him. _Being there. But now that she looked, she saw.

His jaw was stronger; the boyish roundness of his face disappeared. His shoulders were broader, his arms bigger. He was taller; over six feet, while she was only 5"9. If she stood in front of him, the first thing she would see at eye level was his neck. His eyes were duller than they were eight years ago. They look matured and experienced. He didn't laugh as loud as before.

This was Derrick Harrington, 21 years old.

She noticed all these things while her make-up artists were removing every chemical on her face. She was quiet. She even managed to drown out their banter.

(*)

"Massie?" Ella Nelson, her assistant asked her after their meeting with _Massie'_s designers. She shook out of her reverie and looked at the blonde.

"What?"

"You spaced out the whole meeting. You were spacing out after the photo shoot. You were spacing out in the car. What's wrong?" Ella asked. Ella became a close friend of Massie in the year they've worked together. They were close—not as close as the Pretty Committee was to Massie, but Ella was as close as she could get.

"I was just, you know, thinking hard about the designs," Massie lied. She was actually thinking of Derrick Harrington, his appearance, his effect on Massie's current life, just…him.

"You approved of a bright pink tracksuit with equally bright purple horizontal stripes," Ella said.

"Oh, ew, really?" Massie asked, shocked at herself.

"Yes. I denied it for you. It was hideous."

"Thanks."

"So, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing means Derrick Harrington, right?"

"Yep."

(*)

"Hey, Landon."

"Hey, Massie. What's up?"

"Dylan's hosting dinner."

"I'll pick you up an hour before?"

"Perfect."

(*)

Massie walked through Dylan Marvil's threshold with her arm looped around Landon Crane's. Landon Crane was currently one of the hottest TV stars now, starring in one of the top-rated shows today. She was lucky to be with him.

Landon was the sweetest person in the world; the best boyfriend she's had in seven years. After Derrick, she abstained from dating for a year; then when she finally moved on and started accepting guys again, she became some sort of a freak magnet. All her relationships were bad. Started good, became bad, ended worse. That was the pattern for six years. Six months ago, she met Landon, and she finally had a normal, good relationship.

But she still doesn't know if she loves him or not.

That's what frustrates her the most. For six years, every time she started liking a guy, she would fawn over him and do all those love-struck teenage things, then they would end up hurting her, she would get mad, she would cry little, then she would realize she wasted her time and those jerks didn't really matter. But Landon was different from all of them. He was a gentleman, borderline chivalrous. He was handsome. He was sweet. He was always there for her. But nooo. Now she can't decide.

Throw in Derrick Harrington, and she'll never make up her mind.

"Mass! Landon!" Dylan exclaimed when she saw them. "Come on. Everyone's in the living room."

They followed the redhead into her spacious living room, where all of Massie's childhood friends were there. _And she means everyone. _

"Massie!" a Spanish boy approached her, his arms outstretched for a hug. "I haven't seen you since you were shorter!"

Massie went to hug Josh Hotz. It was true. She hasn't seen him for awhile; he went to Europe after sophomore year, and the only person he kept contact with was Alicia. Massie was actually surprised that the two of them were very good at a long distance relationship. She didn't keep contact with him. Briarwood was reconstructed before ninth grade, and the boys moved away, and she didn't really talk to them much when they weren't in the same school as her anymore. She didn't even talk to Derrick at all. The first time she talked to Josh in years was their last conversation earlier today.

"And I haven't seen you since you were Josh Hotz, high school soccer player. Now, you're international soccer player!" Massie said. "By the way, this is Landon Crane, my boyfriend."

"Hey, man. Great game," he said, offering his hand to Josh.

"Hey. Great movie," Josh said, taking his hand and shaking it. "I like that part where you go to the carnival and look for the girl."

"Oh, you watched that movie? Thanks!" Landon said, flashing his million dollar smile.

_What movie? Go to the carnival and look for the girl? _Oh! _That movie! Nothing but the truth!,_ Massie thought.

"Isn't that a chick-flick?" Claire Lyons asked.

"Guess some things never change," Kemp Hurley snickered. Everyone laughed, except for Derrick, who Massie was looking at from the corner of her eye. He's been watching her the whole time.

"Shut up, Kemp. I have blackmail against you," Josh said.

"What blackmail?" Kristen Gregory asked, ever the worried girlfriend. Well, if your boyfriend owns a men's magazine with tons of models modeling for him, you'd be worried too.

"Nothing to worry about, Kristen. Middle school and high school photos," Josh said, reassuring the blonde.

Massie looked around. Landon already met everyone here. He's known Alicia, Dylan, Kristen and Claire from the start. He met Kemp, Chris, and Cam after the girls. Today, he met Josh. The only one left was…Derrick.

As if on cue, Derrick walked forward, and the room considerably got quieter. Thank God, Landon seems to not notice.

"Hey. I'm Derrick Harrington," Derrick said, offering his hand.

"I know. You're all over the news. Punching the Spanish team's coach?" Landon asked, shaking Derrick's hand.

Derrick shrugged. "He was being an ass."

Massie feels…weird. They were being friendly, like they've known each other for years. You have no idea how weird her situation was.

"So, Dyl, how about dinner?" Massie asked, shaking off the weird feeling.

*

Massie could not fully describe dinner. Oh, the food was great and all. But everyone seemed cautious of Derrick and Landon. And they talked to each other the whole time. _The whole time. _How weird is that? Landon definitely talked to Derrick the most. They sounded like old friends. But Massie knew that that can't be since Derrick only recently got back, and, well, she knew everyone Landon did.

Massie doesn't know how, but she ended up alone with Derrick in the kitchen.

"So…Landon's nice," Derrick said, taking a sip from his champagne.

"Derrick," Massie said warningly.

"I'm serious, Massie. I like him," Derrick said.

"Oh," Massie said. "Well, um, thanks? For, you know, being so kind to him and all."

"No problem. But you know what?"

"What?"

"I noticed something."

"What?"

"You don't love him, do you?"

"I do," Massie said indignantly.

"I know you Massie. You love him, sure, but you're not _in _love with him."

"Derrick. That was eight years ago. I changed."

"No. No, Massie, you haven't changed much. You've always been like this. It's just that eight years ago, you've been hiding your real self behind your designer clothes and "alpha" status."

Massie opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out.

"My advice? Break up with Landon," Derrick said.

"Oh, so that you can have me? No, Derrick," Massie said, getting pissed off.

"This isn't for me. This is for him. You'll just hurt him in the end, and I don't want you to have to deal with that," he said. Then he left, leaving Massie to stand there in shock.

**Okay, sorry for the late update…I had writer's block for this story…**

**So, yeah, sorry if this chapter wasn't so nice…**


	4. Dreaming On My Pillow In The Morning

**Okay, so I love Dylan's campaign. Yeah. Love it so much I'm actually considering starting it when I grow up. And I love making the corny, cheesy, confidence boosting taglines. **

**Okay, title is from Magic by Selena Gomez, and I don't own that, and I chose it because I couldn't choose anything else.**

**A Little Too Not Over You  
Chapter Four – Dreaming On My Pillow In The Morning**

"You love you," Dylan said, smiling warmly at Massie. "Because who you are is a star."

"Stop nodding so much," Massie said, and Dylan scowled and started over.

"You love you. Because who you are is a star," Dylan said, smiling.

"Perfect," Massie said. She decided to sleep over at Dylan's house after dinner. Now, it was morning, and Dylan was practicing for her commercial for her camp-program thing. "You Love You, an organization that helps self-doubting teens lose the _doubting_ and love the _self_," Massie said, reading from the pamphlet on Dylan's desk. "Nice."

"Shut up, Massie," Dylan said, snatching the pamphlet away from Massie's fingers.

"Just kidding." Massie smiled cheekily. "Why are you so worked up about this, anyway?"

"Because," Dylan said. "These teens' mental state depends on what I will tell them today! What if I say something that I think is confidence boosting, but is actually offensive? What if I hurt their feelings and they end up even more insecure and dispirited? These teenagers are sensitive and delicate, and one wrong word can send them crashing down into a downward spiral! They are easily-upset!"

"Are you okay? You seem harassed."

Dylan gave her a deadpan stare.

"Want me to go with you? I know all about confidence and insecurity."

"Thanks, Mass."

*

"I don't want you to think "oh, look, here comes another actress pretending to feel what we feel and blah blah blah," because I'm not pretending. I _was _actually very much insecure. Especially when I was in middle school. I was so insecure I put a tight, suffocating grasp on all my friends and was constantly scared of what people think. And that's wrong. You shouldn't be scared of what people think, you shouldn't be scared that your friends might leave you because you're "not that great." You should trust your friends, but most of all, you should trust yourself. Trust that you're good enough; not just for others, but for yourself. In the end, it's what _you _think that matters," Massie said persuasively. After Dylan brought her here to the You Love You center, she managed to persuade Massie that Massie should give a speech, and Massie agreed.

"Yes?" Massie asked, pointing to a girl in the audience who raised her hand.

"But I read in a magazine article that you were the most popular girl in school when you were in middle school and high school," the girl said, and most of the audience agreed. Massie looked at each girl's face (even though the campaign is open to boys, only girls show up and/or enter the program) before she answered.

"Yes. Yes I was. We both were," she said, indicating Dylan. "But that's it, isn't it? Doesn't that tell you that even the girls you think are perfect and happy and self-assured and confident are also very self-conscious? Actually, they could be even more self-conscious than the "losers" they pick on. I remember this one girl we used to pick on. She used to wear weird clothes and do weird stuff and she always had different food obsessions for different weeks, and she always organized protests and rallies. But, now, looking back, I realized that she was more confident than I was. Me, dressing up in the latest clothes so that I could gain people's affection. Me, controlling everyone and making them love me and afraid of me so that they won't say anything bad about me. The girl I picked on was _way _more confident than I was. She wasn't scared to wear whatever she wanted, she didn't care about what others thought about her. She used her voice to speak up about things she believes in, and she used her voice to protest against things that were wrong. She trusted herself, and she _was _herself." Massie paused. "Now. I am using _my _voice to speak up about what I believe in, and I believe in each and every one of you, and you should too," she said, ending her speech to loud applause. She gave the microphone to Mandy, the camp director.

The twenty girls in the room were staying in the You Love You center, which is actually just two big houses on one big lot on the outskirts of Hollywood. Over the course of the summer, these girls will undergo activities that will help them boost their confidence and lose their severe insecurity.

Massie had no idea how Dylan came up with this.

"Amazing speech, Massie. Really good for their first day," Dylan said, looking relieved. "Especially the part about Layne."

"Thanks. I hope that counts as a formal apology to Layne for all those years we made her feel bad."

"Too bad she's not here."

"Yeah," Massie agreed, looking at each of the girls who were listening to Mandy. One particular girl caught her eye; it was a girl sitting alone at the back, looking embarrassed to be here. She was wearing all designer clothes, she was wearing make-up, and she had a rather proud look on her face, even if she looked embarrassed. Massie was reminded of herself. She nudged Dylan and pointed at the girl.

"What?" Dylan said, looking at the girl. Then, realization came to her, and she said, "Oh."

"Looks like you have an "Alpha" around."

"Well, I should probably warn Mandy."

"You do that. I'll go talk to the girl."

Massie walked over to the girl and plopped down on the empty chair beside her. "Hey," she said.

She could see the girl struggling to remain cool and unaffected by her presence. "Hey," the girl said.

"What's your name?"

"Morgana," the girl said. "Morgana Ivanovna Trupp."

"Ivanovna? You're Russian?" Massie asked conversationally.

"My dad is. I was born here, but he wanted me to have a patronym like all Russians do," she said with a small voice. Massie knew the girl was feeling shy, and, well, embarrassed to be seen in a _confidence camp_ by a _celebrity_.

"So," Massie asked, keeping her tone light. "What brings you here?"

Morgana was hesitant to answer, but she did anyway. "All my friends left me and my mother thinks it's because of my confidence and whatever so she sent me here," she said, her voice louder. "It was not my fault."

"When you say it's not your fault, it probably is your fault," Massie bluntly said, to the shock of Morgana. "This has happened to me. And I thought it wasn't my fault, too. But in the end, I realized it was."

"What did you do?"

"Well, I was stupid, so I made my friends say sorry to me, and I didn't apologize for a single thing. Wrong idea. If you make them do that, there will be some part of them that will still resent you in some way. When we reached the third year of high school, I said sorry to everyone. And I wish I did it back when we were freshmen," Massie said. "It was ten times better when I apologized."

"So you think I should apologize to them?" Morgana asked. "But they might do something like…like…"

"Take your control away from you?" Massie finished knowingly. "Use it to bring down your downfall?"

Morgana swallowed before answering in a small voice. "Yes."

"I think they'll just accept you and forgive you," Massie said. "You know what my advice to you is?"

"What?"

"Participate in camp. Go with the flow. Don't try to take over anything, don't try to control anything. Just let yourself go, and I can assure you you'll find a lot of great friends. Don't think about who are losers and who are not. Some people here are great, and don't judge them by what they're wearing. Hell, give them a make-over if you want to. Nobody here is a loser, nobody here is popular. Not even you. Make new friends. You don't know how great a bunch of misfits would fit together."

Morgana was silent, contemplating.

"I will ask Mandy regularly about you. If you don't participate properly, I'll come and get you," Massie said. "And you won't like it."

"Okay."

"And don't even try to post something on the internet about us hanging out all the time and shopping together and all that best friend-y stuff, because I've done that before," Massie warned, earning her a smile from Morgana.

"You have?"

"I've done a lot of things," Massie said. "I'll tell you about them someday."

"Okay."

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

*

"How was pep talk?" Dylan asked.

"I have no idea," Massie said.

"Can I ask you something, Massie?" Dylan asked tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"What are you gonna do about Derrick?"

Massie thought for a while, before she said, "I'll just go with the flow."

**Okay, so, yeah, really long wait for a filler…but at least we're moving forward!!! Next chapter, they start rehearsing for the movie!**

**And, people, don't forget Morgana. She'll do something incredible at the end, and you'll all love her for it ;)**

**I already wrote the ending for this fic…**

**Just need to fill in the middle.**

**BTW, sorry for the really long wait. I had a really bad case of writer's block, and, well, I think it somehow affected this chapter.**


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